Youths Sunday School, Sun sep.18,2022

Topic: The 3-In-1 God 

MEMORY VERSE: “For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.” – 1 John 5:7

BIBLE PASSAGE: Matthew 3:16-17 (KJV) 

16 And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:

17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

INTRODUCTION: The doctrine of the 3-in-1 God otherwise known as Trinity is foundational to the Christian faith. It is the revelation of who our Almighty God actually is. God is an infinite Being, existing eternally as three co-equal and infinitely distinct Persons also called the Godhead: God the Father, God the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The origin of the doctrine of the Trinity is the Bible, although the word Trinity is not used in the Bible. The word ‘Trinity’ was coined by one of the early Church fathers, by the name ‘Tertullian.’ This doctrine is called ‘Trinitarianism’ and its adherents are called ‘Trinitarians.’ The focus of this study is to demystify the concept of the Trinity by providing the biblical basis for it with further clarifications.

LESSON OUTLINES:

BIBLICAL ORIGIN

THE EXPLANATION

1. BIBLICAL ORIGIN

The Old Testament provides glimpses of the Trinity. For example, the Hebrew word for God-“Elohiym” – is actually a plural form of the word ‘El’: hence, in Genesis 1:26, God says (in the plural) “Let us make man in our image.” When God created the heavens and the earth, Jesus was the instrument of God’s creation (Jn.1:1-3; Col.1:15-16), in the company of the Holy Spirit who hovered over the waters (Gen.1:2). Gen. 11:7, “Go to, let us go down…..,” also provides us with the evidence of the three-in-oneness of God. The Torah (the first five books of the Old Testament, also called the Law or the Pentateuch) hinted at the idea of God existing in three Persons and predicted His coming in the flesh (Gen.49:10) to be born in Bethlehem (Mic.5:2). He was not only God’s Son (Isa.9:6) but a Messiah who would be God in the flesh (Zech.2:10-11).

From the very beginning of the church in the New Testament, Christians understood the mystery of the Trinity. For example, John the beloved knew the Son was the Creator (Jn.1:1-2), the “I Am” of the Old Testament (Jn.8:58; Ex. 3:14), equal to the Father (Jn.10:30; 14:9), and the Judge of all the earth (Jn. 5:22), who is to be worshipped as only God is allowed to be (Matt.14:33). Also, the first Christians knew the Holy Spirit was a separate Person (Jn.14:26) who intercedes for us with God (Rom. 8:26-27), proving He is a distinct Person from God the Father. The early believers knew that the Father and the Son sent the third Person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit-“another Comforter”-to live in our hearts (Jn. 14:16-17, 26; 16:7).

New Testament writers mention all three Persons of the Trinity together numerous times. For instance:

At Jesus’ baptism-Matt.3:13-17 (voice of the Father, Son baptized, Spirit descending like a dove).

At Salvation- 1Peter 1:2 (chosen by the Father, sanctified by the Spirit, sprinkled with the blood of Jesus).

At Sanctification-2Cor.13:14 (grace of the Lord Jesus, love of God, fellowship of the Holy Spirit).

At Christians’ Baptism-Matt.28:19 (baptised in one name, yet three Persons-Father, Son, and Holy Spirit).

For a witness – 1Jn 5:7- For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.

CLASS ACTIVITY 1: Why do you belief in the Trinity?

2. THE EXPLANATION

As Christians, we do not believe in three Gods, which is a heresy called ‘Tritheism.’ We do not believe that the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit are three “forms” of God-like steam, water, and ice: that is the heresy called ‘Modalism.’ The egg is comprised of three parts: the yellowish part, the whitish part and the shell. Despite the three substances, the egg is not three but one. The doctrine of the Trinity holds that God is ‘One Being’ but ‘three Persons.’ The ‘three persons’ define who God is (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) while the ‘one Being’ defines what God is (Infinite, Omnipresent, Omniscient, etc.). God has ‘one nature,’ but ‘three centres of consciousness.’ This means that the Father is God (Gal.1:1), the Son is God (Jn.20:28) and the Holy Spirit is God (Acts 5:3-4). They are not three gods but only one God (Deut.6:4). The Father is not the Son, the Son is not the Spirit, and the Spirit is not the Father. They are together: co-equal, co-eternal, having precisely the same nature and attributes (Almighty, unchangeable, infinitely powerful, wise, just, holy, etc.) and worthy of precisely the same worship, confidence, and obedience.

CLASS ACTIVITY 2: What is your view of the Trinity?

CONCLUSION: The doctrine of the ‘3-in-1’ God is Christianity’s most unique, defining, and awesome mystery.

QUESTIONS:

What are the biblical bases of the trinity?

Explain the concept of the trinity.

FURTHER READING:

Sunday: Mark 12:30 (KJV)

30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.

Monday: Titus 1:3 (KJV)

3 But hath in due times manifested his word through preaching, which is committed unto me according to the commandment of God our Saviour;

Tuesday: Philippians 2:11 (KJV)

11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Wednesday: Mark.16:15 (KJV)

15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

Thursday: Ephesians 1:4 (KJV)

4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:

Friday: Romans 1:4 (KJV)

4 And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:

Saturday: Acts 8:37 (KJV)

37 And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.

ASSIGNMENT: Students should mention five heretic beliefs/doctrines they have heard on the Trinity.